ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Asset Management initiatives suffer many barriers in implementation which
hinder their influence and sustainability. One of these barriers is the lack of
buy-in from all levels in the organisation, due to a lack of understanding
of the perceived benefits of Asset Management. The relationship between
throughput and the maturity of Asset Management implementation is usually
felt throughout the organisation, but is difficult to prove or quantify. Furthermore, it is di cult to isolate the effects of maintenance using traditional
methods.
Organisational alignment in an Asset Management project is achieved by
aligning employees' views on what the deficient areas in the organisation
are, and managing their expectations in what the perceived benefit of a
good application of Asset Management would bring forth. However, the lack
of a transparent method to convey the significance of critical areas in the
system, and a clear way to communicate these problems creates a barrier in
implementation. Without empirical evidence people rely on argumentative
opinions to uncover problems, which tends to create friction as opinions
from various factions may differ.
Typically, these initiatives are constrained by available resources, and the
allocation of resources to the correct areas is thus vital. In order for Asset
Management initiatives to be successful there first needs to be alignment in
execution through a clear understanding of which assets are critical, so that
resources can be allocated effectively.
In this study, this problem is thoroughly examined and solutions are sought
in literature. A method is sought which seeks to isolate the effects of the
maintenance function in an operation and uncover critical areas. A study is performed on methods which are typically used to create such understanding,
which are shown to have shortcomings that limit their applicability. Thus a
new methodology utilising simulation is created in order to overcome these
problems.
The methodology is validated through a case study, where it is shown that
the simulation, in the context of the methodology, is highly beneficial to
uncovering critical areas and achieving organisational alignment through
communication of results.